Marionette
by L-u-c-k-y C-u-p-c-a-k-e-s
Summary: "We're all controlled by strings - the strings that tie us to our fates, and the strings that tie us to each other." When Paul pays a visit to the Old Chateau, he unknowingly signs himself up for an adventure that leads him straight to the region of Kalos. With 'friends' he can't seem to shake off, challenges to overcome, and Gym badges to gain, things'll get interesting, no doubt!


**Hey, everyone! It's been a while, but I'm finally ready to present...**

**My first Pokémon fanfiction in roughly a year! Yay! And it has Paul in it! Double yay! (Okay, he was a bigger ass than Gary/Blue/Green/[add-name-here] and Silver, and a crap-ton more masochistic, but there's just something about this guy that's bizarrely attractive. Maybe it's the fact that he just doesn't give two fucks about what other people think about him...eh, who knows.)**

**_Disclaimer: _L-u-c-k-y C-u-p-c-a-k-e-s does not own Pokémon or the languages used in this story. The things she can actually call her own, however, are the characters Lucian, Marionette, and Zachariah.  
**

**Without further ado, be_gin_ reading~!**

* * *

**Chapter One:**

_**The Marionette and Her Manipulator.**_

* * *

_"...The marionette cannot come alive if her manipulator doesn't pluck her fine strings."_

* * *

"This is stupid...there's no such thing as ghosts..."

Paul stared at the Old Chateau, disbelief obvious in his features. He couldn't, for the life of him, understand why the residents of Eterna was terrified of the place - especially since the place hadn't been touched in years.

"I wouldn't be too certain of that, kid," a voice intoned, "all theories have a shred of truth to them."

The dark eyed purplenette turned around to see a brown haired, gray eyed male with a video camera in one hand and a notepad in the other smirking back at him.

"Who the hell are you?"

The newcomer stuck a pencil behind his ear. "_Je m'appelle_ Zachariah Evans. _Et toi?_"

_Crap! As if Fantina wasn't bad enough, I've gotta deal with this too?_

"Uh..._je suis _Paul Hunter. Why are you bothering me?"

"Sorry," said Zachariah sheepishly, "I just heard you speaking out loud-"

"So?"

"So...hm, I don't have an answer for that..."

Switching on his camera, Zachariah aimed it to himself and began speaking, much to Paul's surprise and bafflement.

"Hey! At the moment, I'm located within the depths of the Eternal-"

"Eterna."

"-_Eterna_ Forest to prove - or _dis_prove - the theory that there are ghosts roaming around the haunted Old Gateau-"

"_Chat_eau, you bloody idiot-"

"-_Chateau! _Thank you for your corrections, Paul!"

"...Yeah, whatever," he dismissed with a wave of his hand, "have fun in there."

"Hold on a second," Zachariah switched off his camera and tucked it into his bag, "you're heading into the Old Ga - _Chateau_, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, usually, I have my partner Alexa with me...but she's currently in the Unova region for her scoop, and-"

"_No._"

"Dude, I haven't even finished. I just want to travel with you until I get my story, then you can go back on your journey...or what_ever_ you're doing...besides, aren't we going to the same place?"

"...Doesn't mean I want to get stuck babysitting."

"I never said I need babysitting, did I? Look, how about you and I settle this in a simple one-on-one fight? If you win, you can just carry on your way - should the opposite occur, you'll help me chase _my_ scoop. Are we in mutual agreement?"

Smirking, Paul drew out a Poké Ball and stated, "prepare to lose. Aggron, stand by for battle!"

"_Allons-y, _Greninja! _Laissez les bons temps rouler!_"

The primarily blue frog and the metallic dinosaur-like creature exited their Poké Balls in a flash of light, both ready to fight.

"What the hell _is _that thing?"

"I just said his name," said Zachariah, shaking his head in a smug fashion, "his species's name is called Greninja, and he is the final form of one of the Starter Pokémon my home region of Kalos gives out to trainers."

"Kalos, huh?"

"Yes. It's quite a nice region...hey, we're supposed to _battling!_ Call out a move!"

"Fine. Aggron, Flash Cannon!"

"Tsk, tsk," he waggled his finger, "surely a person with your level of intelligence wouldn't make such an error...Greninja! Dig like a Diggersby!"

Greninja shot into the ground just as Aggron began firing silver energy beams towards the ground.

"That trick is rather tiresome."

"Why are you so damn _smug?!_"

"Non, smug isn't the word. Tactical, however, is-" Zachariah snapped his fingers - "Greninja! How about showing our friend here our grand aquatic trap?"

"Tr-?"

Paul found himself sinking a little as the area around him became incredibly damp. He stared at his opponent, the shock evident in his normally emotionless features.

"_Hydro Cannon!_"

Greninja returned to the surface, shooting a frighteningly accurate stream of water Aggron's way.

"_**Dodge!**_"

...The yell came a second too late, as Aggron - who was already trying (and failing) to adjust to the muddy battleground - was pushed back several feet, slamming into a tree and fainting.

"And that, my friend, wraps up your first ever battle with a Pokémon from the Kalos region! Thank you for playing!"

Grumbling, Paul recalled his fallen Pokémon and stuffed the Poké Ball into his jacket pocket. "...How did-?"

"I win against you?" Zachariah finished. "Easy. Greninja is currently the fastest Water type in existence. It's like a Goomy trying to outspeed a _Ninjask_ - nothing short of impossible."

"...Hmmph. Let's just get this damn thing over with so you can go back to your region, alright?"

"Very well. _Allons-y!_"

With his cry, the duo entered the Old Chateau.

* * *

"Hour zero, first floor," murmured Zachariah, frantically scribbling down his notes, "everything looks normal...so far, the non-believers seem to be right on this one-"

"Could you _quit __**talking**_ _to yourself?_"

"'Current Traveling Partner is a Jerk,'" he continued, ignoring Paul completely, "end quote."

"And I have to deal with this for the _entire_ duration of our trip? You've got to be kidding me-"

_KERRASSH!_

Both boys jumped at the sound of several things breaking at once.

"Paul, did you drop something...?"

"No, did you?"

Zachariah shook his head, his face turning fifty shades lighter. Paul couldn't help but snort.

"You look terrified, _kid._"

"I'm a little jumpy," he admitted, "partially because of the rumors, and partially because...well, when was the last time someone actually _lived_ here?"

"Roughly a century ago, I believe. Why?"

"...I don't think we're the only ones here."

"...You don't _honestly_ think that there are _ghosts_ here, do you?"

_CRAACK!_

"L-let's just find the heart of the problem before I decide to run away, o-okay?!"

"Jeez, you're pathetic."

"_S-Shut up!_"

* * *

"Hour zero, dining room-"

"My god, shut up," glared Paul, "and keep your observations to yourself!"

Hearing footsteps, followed by Paul's shadow becoming strangely more prominent, Zachariah yelped and began backing up quickly.

"Zachariah, any particular reason why you look like an utter _idiot_ right now?"

"B-Behind...y-you..."

He turned around. What he saw - the face of a blond haired, blue eyed male - was enough to make _him_ turn a few shades whiter.

"Who the - what the - how the _hell did you get here?!_"

"Why, I live here," he grinned, "and I'd like to ask you the same thing~"

"Hold on, you live here?" Zachariah furrowed his brow. "But, I was told that no one has been here for a hundred years!"

"In my defense, I'm not as familiar with this legend as the residents of Eterna City are," Paul crossed his arms, "as I live in Veilstone City, a place roughly three cities away from here-"

"With the magnificent Mt. Coronet in between, right?"

"...Yes. Now, riddle me this - _who are you?_"

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Lucian Matthews. It's a pleasure to meet you, Paul and Zachariah."

"How do you-?"

"I overheard you guys speaking. In any case, why are you two here?"

"I wanted to get a story for 'Illumination', this magazine I work on," said Zachariah, "to prove whether or not ghosts haunt this place..."

"And I just came here for the hell of it."

Lucian quirked an eyebrow. "Ghosts, haunting _here?_ I doubt it."

"There goes my story...floating away in the surprisingly harsh autumn breeze..."

"Don't get down! I just said that there wasn't any ghosts _haunting_ here! I never said that there _weren't!_"

Zachariah's head snapped up. "Wait, that means...!"

"Yeah, there's a ghost here. He's been a friend of mine since forever," smiled Lucian, "and because you've shown me nothing but the utmost of kindness, I'll even introduce you guys. But before we do that, I'd like to put on a show for you-"

"A show for what, exactly?" Paul frowned. "I didn't come here to waste my time."

"Ig_nore_ him, Lucian. He's essentially the human version of an Iapapa Berry."

Chuckling, Lucian said, "meet me upstairs, in the fourth bedroom - that's the one to your far right - for the show, alright?"

"_No-_"

"We'll be there!"

"Excellent!"

As the excited male ran off, Paul gave Zachariah a withering glare. "Why the hell did you-?"

"Look, it's just one little show. It can't hurt you. And besides, don't you want to meet the ghost?"

Grumbling under his breath, Paul exited the room, with Zachariah not too far behind.

* * *

"Hiya, guys! Glad you didn't run off on me!"

"We made a promise, didn't we?" Zachariah rubbed the back of his head. "As they say, 'promises are meant to be upheld-'"

"Or broken," muttered Paul.

"So, what's this show?"

"Glad you asked!" Climbing up the bunk-bed that was in the room, Lucian asked, "do you guys know what a marionette is?"

"Marionette? That's a kind of puppet that's controlled with strings, right?"

"Exactly. And the person who controls the strings are called 'manipulators'...but I'm getting off topic. Aaaah, here we are!"

Carrying a surprisingly life-like doll wearing some sort of gothic lolita-esque get up on his back, Lucian climbed down the ladder and set it on a chair. Paul stared at said doll warily, wondering if it would spontaneously come to life.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"She is. Amazingly so. Did you create her?"

"Aha ~ ha," he smiled, "I'm much too young to have done that."

Zachariah and Paul looked at each other, then at Lucian, then at the doll and back again.

"...What."

"Oh, calm down. My grandfather made her before I was born," he laughed, "as a way to help him cope. And when he disappeared..._anyway!_ I said I'd put on a show for you, and that is what I plan on doing! Mana-chan and Phoebe-chan, where are you?"

To the surprise of everyone sans Lucian, two Manaphy waddled into the room.

"How on _earth_ did you get your hands on - not one, but _two_ - rare Pokémon?"

"Grandfather gave me some Manaphy Eggs as a gift a few years back." Kneeling down to the level of the two Water types, he patted their heads and said, "I'm not sure if this will work. In fact, I'm all but sure that it _won't._ But please, guys, _please_ try to make a miracle happen...for my sake and Grandfather's memory..."

"I'm not too sure what's going on," said Zachariah, patting the blonde on his shoulder, "but...I hope that your miracle happens, Luce."

"Thank you, Zach. Now, guys..._use your Heart Swap on her!_"

The Manaphy held hands as they walked over to the doll. Pressing their glowing antennae on her chest area, pink hearts of energy began to surround the trio.

"I can't believe it," muttered Paul, "his plan...actually looks like it'll work..."

"Ma - _na _- _**phy!**_"

For a moment, it seemed like the entire world had exploded in a bright, pink light. The three males fell to the ground, shutting their eyes quickly as they did so.

"You could've _warned _us to bring sunglasses to this occasion, you know-"

"Paul! Stop complaining already!"

Before long, the light faded away, and the two Manaphy - exhausted beyond all else - passed out.

"Is it over?"

Zachariah opened his eyes, then uttered a low, "my god..."

"What?"

"..._K-Konnichiwa, kaijin..._"

At the sound of the voice, the two other boys opened their eyes...and came face to face with a raven haired, ruby eyed female. Lucian, an overwhelming amount of emotions suddenly rushing over him, simply burst into tears as he hugged her tightly.

"You're alive! You're really and truly alive! I-I'm so...I'm so _happy!_"

The girl simply tilted her head in a confused fashion. Paul, who was well-versed in Japanese on account of spending his entire childhood in Kanto, began speaking to her.

"_Konnichiwa. Genki desu ka?_"

"_Hai, genki desu..._ah, _namae wa nan desu ka?_"

"What on _earth _are those two _saying?_"

Lucian shrugged. "All I know is that it's Japanese."

"Paul Hunter..._desu._ _Soshite anata wa,_" Paul pointed to her, "Marionette."

"Marionette...?"

Nodding curtly, he turned to Lucian.

"Huh?"

"Her name. It's Marionette, right?"

"Y-Yeah. Marionette Lennox...just like my grandfather. Well, last name wise."

"Glad that's cleared up. Marionette," continued Paul, "_eigo ga hanasemasu ka?_"

"_Hai, hanashimasu._" Marionette smiled. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, you _can_ speak English! I thought I was going to have to buy a Japanese-to-English book!" Lucian sighed, relieved. "How do you feel, Marionette-chan?"

"I'm alright, thank you. Who are you two?"

"My name is Lucian. I guess...I guess I can be considered your father..."

"I think I'll just stick with Lucian."

"I think that would be best."

"And I'm Zachariah Evans," piped up Zachariah, "I've gotta say, you're quite a doll-"

"All crappy puns _aside_...Lucian, don't you have a ghost you wanted to show us?"

"Doll? What did he mean by that?"

"There's a reason as to why you have your name," sighed Paul, "let's leave it at that."

She nodded, though her somewhat confused expression didn't disappear.

"Seriously, don't worry about it."

"No, it's not that..."

"What's up, Marionette-chan? Are you hungry? Thirsty? I can make something for you..."

The rather obvious sound of a growling stomach caused both her and Zachariah to turn bright red. Lucian began to laugh.

"Sorry, sorry...I was so intent on solving this mystery that I skipped breakfast and lunch..."

"No problem! I'll just make an even bigger feast!"

And before one could object, Lucian sped out the room and down the stairs, yelling, "it's time to cooooook!"

* * *

"So, did'ya like my Gateau?"

"It's great," said Zachariah, grinning, "way better than some of the things Lumiose City's many cafés have to offer."

"For a purple brick," Paul held it up for emphasis, "this isn't...bad."

"And what about you, Marionette? Did you like it?"

"It was warm and fluffy! You are a wonderful cook."

Lucian grinned, dusting flour off his shirt. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me."

"Anytime."

"Hey, Lucian, can we see this ghostly being now?"

"...Oh, right! I made a promise, didn't I?" His grin became crafty. "You see the television over there?"

"Yeah. But what does that have to-?"

"Thump it."

"Thump...the television?"

"I'll be glad to." Paul got up from the ground, walked over to the television, and kicked the side of it a few times.

"Wait for it..."

"Hehehehehehhe!"

Paul jumped back slightly, a 'what the _fuck_' expression on his face as a Rotom made itself comfortable on his head.

"What-?"

Zachariah whipped out his camera again, aiming it directly at the duo as he began narrating.

"So, as it turns out, there _is_ a ghost here - the rather adorable Rotom! Hey, Lucian, could you tell us a little about the guy?"

"Oh, sure. Rotom is a dual Ghost and Electric type. He's been living here as long as I have - wait, no, he lived here even longer. My grandfather played with him all the time when he was a child..."

"Anything else?"

"Oh, yeah! Rotom has two amazing abilities - one to be able to manipulate several household appliances, and another to completely change his typing depending on what appliance is entered!"

"What are the alternate forms and types?"

"The alternate forms are called Heat Rotom, Wash Rotom, Frost Rotom, Fan Rotom, and Mow Rotom...and the secondary types are Fire, Water, Ice, Flying, and Grass respectively."

"So Rotom always remains an Electric type?"

"Yup!"

_Bzzzt!_

Zachariah, Marionette, and Lucian turned to see Paul's hair standing up on end, with Rotom giggling and him scowling.

"Laugh, and you die."

"Ooookay! Well, there you guys have it. Mischievous and always electrified, this is Zachariah Evans reporting to you from the grand Old Chateau! See ya guys on the flipside!"

He shut it off, placing it once again in his bag. Standing up, he said, "Well, I should be going back to Kalos..."

At this, Lucian's expression went from amused to heartbroken.

"You're...really going to go? Now?"

"Yeah, I need to head back and deliver this to the Chief before my deadline. But don't worry, I'll come back-"

"You don't understand! My grandfather said the same thing to me years ago," Lucian clenched his fists, "and to this day, he hasn't come back! Do you know how many years I've been here, waiting for another human being to come here? _Fourteen years!_ Fourteen, long, miserable years! And the only ones who stuck by me through those lonely years were a _non-sentiment doll and Pokémon who can't speak basic English!_ Do you know what that's _like?_ Huh? _Do you?!_"

"Lucian-"

"Don't tell me to _calm down!_" Tears cascaded down his face. "I can't! Not when the only friends I had - the only human, English-speaking friends I had - are just going to leave me here alone! I don't...I don't want to be alone...it _scares_ me to be alone..."

"Buddy," Zachariah ruffled his hair, "please, stop crying. If you want, you can come with me..."

"R-Really? You mean it?"

"Yeah, I do. Hey, Marionette?"

"Yes?"

"Ever wanted to go to a foreign land?"

Marionette chuckled. "I didn't know what I wanted to do prior to today, Zachariah. But since Lucian wants to go...I might as well go too, right?"

"Well, you three have fun," stated Paul, pulling his hoodie over his head, "I'll be off training for my next challenge, whatever that may be."

"Why don't you come along with us?"

"Why should I?"

"Oh, I don't know...maybe because Kalos has a ton of strong trainers, a league you can participate in, _and _is the only region where you can get a Mega Ring - a mystical item that, combined with right Mega Stone, can make certain Pokémon stronger? One of which you currently have on your person?"

Paul stared at him. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope, completely serious. So, what do you say?"

"...So, when is the next plane to Kalos leaving again?"

"_Now_ we're talking!" Zachariah pumped his fist to the sky. "Alright, let's get going-"

"Hold on. Zachariah, do you have two empty Poké Balls I can use?"

"Yeah. Here," he handed them to Lucian, "why?"

"_Mana-chan!_"

One of the two Manaphy from earlier waddled into the room, now full of energy after its nap. Lucian handed a Poké Ball to an understandably quizzical Marionette.

"What do I do with this?"

"Just toss it at Mana-chan," he instructed.

She did as told. Once the Poké Ball flashed briefly whilst making a clicking sound, Marionette picked it up and smiled.

"I caught a Manaphy...thank you, Lucian."

"No problem. Hey, Rotom, wanna come with me?"

"Bzzzzzzt!"

Tapping the button with its thunderbolt 'arms', Rotom was sucked into the capsule device. After the confirming flash and click, Lucian tucked it into his pocket and nodded to Zachariah, who grinned.

"You guys ready? Good! To the Kalos region!"

"To the Kalos region!"

With this cry, the four set off, the afternoon sun shining brilliantly on their backs.

* * *

**And that, my friends, is the end of Chapter 1.**

**Lucky-chan's Corner:**

**...How the hell is Heart Swap supposed to work, exactly? In M09, it was used to temporarily swap Manaphy's soul with someone else's. In the games, it's used to swap stat-changes...or something like that. I don't know, I keep mixing it up with the _three other Psychic type moves_ _with the name 'swap' in it. _Overkill, much?**

**Speaking of Heart Swap, if the above are true, then turning a doll into a human using that move is nigh-impossible. But you know what? This is a fanfiction. I'm allowed to bend the laws of sensibility a little.**

**If you think that Paul is less harsh than he was in the original DP series, then...well, you're probably right about that. Then again, this _does_ take place after DP, so...yeah. Just call it maturity.**

**Yes, yes, I know. Manaphy's a Legendary Pokémon. It can't just randomly be handed to a doll/human being. But remember, this is _fanfiction. _Anything goes.**

**Lucian's grandfather...I'm sure you guys figured out who he is.**

**Why does Zachariah, Paul, and Marionette occasionally break into French and Japanese respectively? For Zach and Paul...well, the former _does_ hail from the region based of France, and the latter's abilities to speak the language have been explained in-story. As for why Marionette can speak Japanese, well...it comes with the package! (Read: I just want the girl to be Japanese, okay?)**

**...As you can see, Lucian has a severe case of Autophobia (the fear of being left alone), caused by years and years without seeing another human being since his grandfather. Hence, the breakdown.**

**Speaking of Lucian, he and Zach will probably have a lot of moments like that - in which he, in a manner that's _supposed_ to invoke a brotherly feeling, helps Lucian recover from whatever breakdown he's currently undergoing.**

**Alright, I'm done explaining things. Hopefully, you guys will comment/favorite/add-to-alert/_whatever_ on this story, and I'll see you guys next time with Chapter 2 in hand.**

**~_ L-u-c-k-y C-u-p-c-a-k-e-s signing off! ~_**


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